An exploration of Si tu paṇ chen, monastic ideals, and the Buddha's biographies.

Description:Creator's Description: In this paper I demonstrate that close readings of Tibetan adaptations of the Buddha’s life reveal a complex literary and artistic corpus. Such adaptations serve as sites of discourse where the particular concerns and projects of Tibetan authors and artists can be elicited within their religious and historical contexts. I examine two biographies of the Buddha Śākyamuni: a textual account by Si tu paṇ chen chos kyi ’byung gnas (1700-1774) and a pictorial design preserved in two thang kas in the Tibet Museum (Bod ljongs rten rdzas bshams mdzod khang, Xizang bowuguan, 西藏博物馆) in Lha sa. I argue that themes of ascetic purity and seclusion are developed in these two works, expressing monastic ideals in dynamic response to sectarian politics and the changing character of monastic communities in Khams. By reading sets of adaptations together – with their sources and across textual and visual media – I suggest that we can better recognize and analyze how they shape cultural imagination. (2013-07-01)